 Dear reader,
The violent events at the U.S. Capitol are causing a reckoning for teachers, families and anyone trying to understand and explain last week’s assault on U.S. democracy. Educators are angry, and looking for guidance, says professor and author Jennifer Rich, who offers suggestions for moving ahead. Joshua D. Rothman, chair of the history department at the University of Alabama, provides us some perspective on past instances of mobs of white citizens rioting or attempting to overthrow a government.
But as the end of the Trump administration nears, there is some light at the end of the darkness for supporters of public education who’ve spent four years watching U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos make clear her preference for private and market solutions. “Good riddance” was among the many reactions to her early departure.
We also bring you the latest on studies examining how safe it is to keep schools open in the pandemic, one of the most confounding questions of all as we trudge through January, masked, worried and waiting for vaccinations. As always, we love to hear from our readers.
Liz Willen, Editor
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